The present invention is directed to an anchoring device for alternatively anchoring several accessories to a tube of an arm of a chair, a wheelchair or the like, or to a tube of a side panel of a hospital bed or the like. The anchoring device of the present invention is compact, provides a strong attachment to the tube and an easy handling mechanism for anchoring an accessory. The anchoring device can be used for various accessories such as a swivelling table, a joystick and a channel armrest for a users forearm
One preferred embodiment of the anchoring device is designed specifically for an arm of a chair or wheelchair so that it does not interfere with the cushion of the arm, and there is thus no need to remove the cushion when attaching the device.
When a person is confined to a wheelchair, it is sometimes necessary to attach, or removably attach, an accessory to the chair to give the person greater autonomy, or for safety or comfort reasons. Such accessories can be a swivelling table, used mainly for writing, reading or eating; or alternatively, a joystick which controls the motor and direction of a motorized wheelchair, or alternatively, for operating a computer or like devices, or alternatively a channel armrest used mainly for holding the user""s forearm on the wheelchair arm.
Presently, accessories for wheelchair or other items made with a tubular structure, have their own anchoring mechanism to the wheelchair and do not allow to interchange an accessory for another without removing the anchoring mechanism, such as the devices described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,750; U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,870; U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,093; U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,241; U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,168; U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,148; U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,118; and U.S. Des. 359,258.
Of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,428 to OHL, which describes a clamping system used for supporting interchangeable accessories for use with standard healthcare equipment. The system uses a mounting bracket which is permanently installed to a piece of furniture. A slip-coupling is removably installed on a support rod depending from this mounting bracket. The system of OHL requires a permanent modification to the piece of furniture to which it is mounted. Furthermore, the conception of the system by definition involves a huge number of parts and does not seem to be straightforward to install and use. Finally, by definition, the system of OHL requires an additional support rod to which are removably attached the clamping system for supporting the accessories.
Other solutions, in order to attach the accessory, require removal of the existing cushion, as taught in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,617 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,477.
Both of the above solutions are inefficient in that they are not adapted to remove a variety of accessories on a given holder, interfere with the existing structure of the wheelchair, are permanently attached thereto, require removal of parts of the wheelchair, such as a cushion or make use of a secondary support rod.
There is a need for an anchoring device that can alternatively anchor interchangeable accessories or that does not interfere with the cushion of the wheelchair arm when installed on such an arm having a cushion.
A main feature of the present invention is providing an anchoring device for anchoring an interchangeable accessory. A subsidiary feature of the present invention is providing an anchoring device that can be attached to a wheelchair arm without interfering with the cushion.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved with an anchoring device for anchoring an interchangeable accessory to an arm of a chair where the arm is of the type comprising a tube and an elongated cushion fastened on top of the tube, and where the accessory is provided with at least one male element. The device comprises:
attaching means for removably attaching the device to a portion of the tube underneath the cushion;
at least one female element corresponding in shape and size to the at least one male element of the accessory for co-operating with said at least one male element, the at least one female element having an opening lying in a plane outside an area defined by the cushion; and
securing means for securing the at least one male element into the at least one female element when inserted into the at least one female element.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is also achieved with an anchoring device for anchoring an interchangeable accessory to a tube of a chair or an hospital bed where the accessory is provided with at least one male element. The device comprises:
attaching means for removably attaching the device to a section of the tube;
at least one female element corresponding in shape and size to the at least one male element of the accessory for co-operating with said at least one male element, the at least one female element having an opening; and
securing means for securing the at least one male element into the at least one female element when inserted into the at least one female element.
The present invention is also directed to a combination of an anchoring device as above-defined and an accessory that includes the at least one male element corresponding in shape and size to the at least one female element of the device for mating with said at least one female element.
The present invention is further directed to a combination of an anchoring device as above-defined and an accessory adaptor. The accessory adaptor comprises:
a plate being securable to an accessory, and
at least one male element extending downwardly from the plate and corresponding in shape and size to the at least one female element of the device for mating with said female element.
The invention and its advantages will be better understood after reading the non restrictive description of the preferred embodiments of the invention. This description is given with reference to the appended drawings.